Young Justice: The Magic Word
by batman4life
Summary: It's a day in the life for Billy Batson, aka the World's Mightiest Mortal!
1. Chapter 1

"The Magic Word"

 _Fawcett City_

 _C.C. Beck Junior High School_

 _March 15th, 08:00_

"Good morning, everyone! Mrs. Fletcher unfortunately called in sick this morning, so I will be the substitute for this class. My name of course is Mr. Stanke…."

The white chalk screeched loudly as it dragged across the chalkboard to etch out the man's name.

Dressed in a loosely buttoned shirt and torn jeans, he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but in a public school.

Nevertheless, he turned around to face at least two dozen 5th Graders with facial expressions ranging from keen enthusiasm to sheer boredom.

"So, before we continue on with her instructions I'd like to go through attendance and see who cares about their education and who doesn't," he continued sardonically, picking up a clipboard before reading off the roster.

"Richard Harris?"

"Present, sir."

"Donny Jones?"

"President!"

"Funny. Bill Parker?"

"Here."

"Mary Bromfield."

"Here, sir!"

"Freddy Freeman."

"Here, I guess."

"William Batson?"

"...is Batson here?'

A sharp elbow jab into his shoulder brought Billy Batson back into reality, courtesy of his best friend and foster sibling.

Peeling his face off of his desk, the slightly groggy yet always gregarious boy slowly adjusted to his surroundings with the entire class now staring at him.

"Peanut butter?" he offered sleepily, completely unaware that this was roll call.  
"I wish," the substitute grumbled under his breath, before continuing to list off names.

Pulling back his red hoodie, the boy ignored some snickers from behind from the usual culprits as his stupor eventually cleared.

Running a tired hand through his raven black locks, Billy squinted through his bright blue eyes to make out the man's scribbled out name on the board.

"Dude, you okay?" came a worried voice from his right.

Craning his head, he makes out the friendly and freckled face of Freddy Freeman.

Dressed in a Polo shirt with khakis, the blonde preteen waved his hand in front of Billy's sleepy expression.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Rough night, y'know?" he whispered back.

"Uncle Dudley make you watch the football game with him again?" Freddy groaned.

"Worse. I had to fight this giant worm," Batson confessed.

Freddy almost burst out laughing at that, so much so that he nearly knocked his metallic crutch down to the floor.

Settling down as Mr. Stanke continues to drone on, he rightfully pointed out, "Dude, you can fly and you had trouble squashing a little bug?"

"Right now, I wish I could fly out of this class," Batson muttered under his breath, checking to ensure that noone was listening before adding, "Look, this wasn't just any worm. It could like, read minds and stuff."

Freddy's eyes bulged open at that. " _Read minds?_ Like in those old scary aliens movies that Uncle Dudley watches?"

"Yeah, but even scarier," he agreed, just as Mr. Stankle finished roll call.

"Alrighty, now that I can put names to all your beautiful faces let's get started. Now, your teacher has left specific instructions for today's lesson but I figured I'd put a little- wait for it, _stank_ on it. Get it?" he grinned coyly, waiting with baited breath at the students.

No one laughed at his joke.

His smile quickly dissolved as the preteens continue to glare at him expectantly. "You know, 'cause my last name and uh...just forget it!"

Deflating with a sigh, he walked over to the teacher's desk grumbling about kids these days.

Opening up a textbook, he flipped to the highlighted page. "Alrighty then, let's go to page 286 in your books and finish up those unit discussion questions…"

 _Ding!_

Filing through the double doors of C.C. Beck Middle, a growing sea of students spread out through the courtyard either towards their parents' cars or school buses.

Amidst the mass of prepubescent humanity exiting the educational institution in excited droves were Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman.

Leaning slightly on his forearm crutch while shouldering his backpack, Freddy limped along the sidewalk along with his dark-haired friend.

"Boy, I am tired," Freddy finally breathes out, the fatigue in his voice evident as he turns back to Batson. "Hey, so you wanna finish our game at the house? I still have the high score, just saying."

"Nah, I've got to make this meeting at the Watchtower," Batson sighs in response.

"You say that as if it isn't the coolest thing, like, ever!" Freddy almost gushed at him.

"I mean, it is but it kinda feels weird. Like, you know me, right?"

Freddy Freeman nods as Batson struggle a bit putting his thoughts into words.

"The Justice League just knows the guy I turn into, not the real me. And that's awesome, 'cause Wonder Woman is definitely checking me out. But, it's _so_ boring when all they do is vote and talk about grown-up stuff," he explained to the still bewildered Freeman.

"You mean, grown-up stuff like saving the world?" Freeman pointed out. "Bro, I'm going to be honest with you. You can literally do anything Superman and those green guys can do."

"Except being taken seriously. Batman doesn't even assign me missions by myself 'cause I'm too 'inexperienced,' whatever that means," he bemoaned, emphasizing his frustration with air quotes.

"Dude's just jealous," his friend brushed off confidently.

Leaning against his crutch, a wistful look crossed Freddy's face as he remarked, "Hey, if I was half as strong as you I wouldn't even need this stupid thing. I'd be, like the coolest guy in school and wouldn't have to-"

"Well well, looky who we got here boys!"

The words in Freddy's mouth grew cold as the belligerent voice came from the parking lot next to them.

A rather stocky yet physically imposing boy with a buzz cut strutted up to them confidently, flanked by two of his buddies who shared a similar frame.

Sizing them both up dismissively, the ever smug Dash Down kept his smug composure as he stepped onto the sidewalk.

"Case in point," Freddy told Billy, who rolled his eyes.

"Look, boys. It's my favorite show: The Wimp and the Gimp!" Dash laughed out loud, his friends almost snorting and snickering on cue at his taunting words.

"Very funny, Dash! Did you spend all night coming up with that one?" Batson responded dryly.

Dash's smile was gone as soon as it appeared. "Watch your mouth, Batson. Or I'll watch it for you."

Undeterred by his threat, Batson nonetheless crossed his arms as Dash directed his bullish ire towards Freeman.

"So, I see you still walking your one-legged dog home. Tell me Batson, you ever get tired of picking up after this loser?"

"You ever get tired of being dumber than rocks?" Freddy shot back defiantly.

Snarling slightly, the bully took a threatening step forward, just as someone else entered the scene.

" _Okay stop!"_

The dainty yet determined Mary Bromwell, seemingly materializing out of nowhere, walked over to Freddy's side, eyeing the three bullies while placing a reassuring hand on her foster brother's shoulder.

Being the oldest of the three, she acted every bit of it as she stood between the antagonizing adolescent and her foster brother.

Dressed in a conservative red dress with matching heels, she flicked her brown hair back over her shoulder before addressing the bully, "Dash honey, don't you have to have to be stupid somewhere else?"

"You callin' me stupid?" he growled at her, fuming visibly.

"Um, yeah," she answered him candidly, before adding with a smirk, "Oh sorry, that might be a bit too advanced for your vocabulary so let me put this in a way you can understand."

Dramatically clearing her throat, Mary adopted a much more condescending tone. "You're just a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Or in your case, the whole restaurant."

Gritting his teeth together angrily, his cheeks streaked scarlet from her burning insult before a lightbulb went off in his head.

"At least, I'm smart enough to know that touching girls gives me cooties," he retorted knowingly, receiving approving nods from his friends.

"Right. Now, can you please leave?" she said impatiently, tapping her foot for emphasis.

Dash cast one last menacing glare at the three foster siblings before reluctantly stalking back towards the parking lot along with his friends.

"Well, that was easy," Mary remarked confidently.

"Just so you guys know, I was about to start kicking butt in a few seconds," Freddy blurted out sheepishly, only for Mary to playfully tussle up his hair.

"I'm sure you were, tough guy," she smiled at him, affectionately wrapping her arm around him.

"Yeah, you sure showed him, sis," Billy grinned as well, only for Mary to shrug.

"Hey, nobody messes with this guy but me. Besides, someone needed to take the Three Stooges down a peg," she smirked.

The three continued along the city sidewalk for a few more moments before a familiar red-and-blue blur suddenly flew over them.

Shooting through the air faster than a speeding bullet, it was gone before the three could fully identity it.

"Was that a bird?" Mary said, craning her head up as the blur shot to the left and disappeared behind a building.

"Nah, must've been a plane or something," Freddy told her, squinting his eyes.

Billy Batson's eyes shot wide open in pure amazement. "Guys, it's Superman!"

"Superman?" Slightly confused, Mary fixed him with a quizzical look. "I thought he lives in Metropolis. What's he doing here?"

Ignoring Mary's aloud pondering, an idea crossed Billy's mind. "Wait a sec, this is my chance! Guys, this is my chance!"

"It's a chance to raise your blood pressure if you don't calm down, dude," Freddy pointed out, a bit taken aback by Batson's sudden enthusiastic spurt.

Calming himself down, he explained to both of them, "Look, Superman's gotta be in Fawcett City for a reason, right? He probably got called here to take care of some bad guys. But what if the bad guy he's going up against, get this, is someone I've already beaten? Like, the Monster Society or that caveman dude."

Both Freddy and Mary exchanged apprehensive looks, not entirely convinced by the preteen's reasoning.

But Billy Batson was quick to reassure them. "I can't explain it but you just gotta trust me, alright? If I can do this, I can prove myself to Superman _and_ the rest of the League. It's like, 100% foolproof."

"Yeah, except the bit where you don't know who, or most likely what you're going up against," Mary stressed.

His only response was to simply gaze hopefully in the direction that the Man of Steel had gone in.

"Today's the day," he declared, barely able to contain his excitement before speeding down the sidewalk.

"Tell Uncle Dudley I'm teaming up with Superman!" he called out over his shoulder, before disappearing into a nearby alleyway.

Mary still wore a worried frown, but Freddy feigned tearing up with a giant grin plastered across his face.

"They grow up so fast," he beamed proudly.

* * *

Sprinting within the narrow space of the alley, Billy Batson finally skidded to a halt as he neared the dead end.

Taking a moment to check behind him, the preteen planted himself firmly on the ground before closing his eyes in concentration.

With his intentions pure and good, Billy Batson shouted at to the heavens at the very top of his lungs, "SHAZAM!"

The heavens answered him back with a lightning bolt of mythical proportions that engulfed his entire boyish frame.

He remained still as the white light imbued him with all the powers and abilities necessary to become Earth's mightiest mortal.

A split second later, Captain Marvel opened his eyes.

In the place of the skinny Billy Batson now stood a physically imposing man with a Herculean physique from top to bottom.

Towering a few inches above six feet, well-defined muscles bulged impressively all along his torso and forearms.

Retaining the same facial features as his childish counterpart, he wore a champion's attire that was mainly bright red save for a golden thunderbolt logo proudly emblazoned across his chest.

Golden accents colored his wrists, boots, and collar, while also highlighting a predominantly white cape over his left shoulder.

Smiling from corner to corner with the essence of the entire Greek pantheon coursing through him, Captain Marvel eagerly cracked his neck before taking off into the air towards his moving destination.


	2. Chapter 2

" _Watchtower, this is Superman. I'm on my way."_

Flying through the metropolitan downtown area with his cape dancing wildly in the air, the last son of Krypton was a man on a mission.

Removing his hand from the comlink embedded in his right ear, Superman pushed forward with his mountainous forearms leading the way.

His equally impressive physique, one seemingly carved from marble put forth by one of the great sculptors, was accentuated by his iconic uniform.

Reflecting his all-American upbringing, the suit from neck to ankle was primarily blue, with the color scheme contrasting with red trunks and boots as well as a yellow belt.

As a homage to his alien roots, however, the coat of arms representing the House of El was emblazoned proudly on his chest, now a universal symbol of hope for all of mankind.

With the wind gently blowing his infamous spit curl back over his raven black hair, Superman hurtled past a building currently in construction and began racing towards-

"Hey Superman, wait up!"

The beaming figure of Captain Marvel suddenly joined him in mid-air.

Invoking the speed of Mercury to keep up with the Man of Steel's blazing pace, the world's mightiest mortal could barely contain his excitement as he and Superman now flew side-by-side.

"Captain." Nodding respectfully towards his magical counterpart, Superman cast a sly smirk his way, "I hope you don't mind me stealing your thunder. I understand that this is your city, but I'm only here on official League business."

His eyes nearly widened to the size of golfballs. "You mean the whole Justice League's in on this too?"

"About twenty minutes ago, the Watchtower got a SOS call from S.T.A.R. Labs here in Fawcett City. Batman sent out an open relay, but with half the League still on assignment offworld I was the only guy not named Barry Allen who could make it here within a reasonable window of time," Superman explained to him.

The wizard's champion frowned slightly as it suddenly it him, "Wait, so how come Batman didn't contact me first?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Superman told him candidly, "Maybe he assumed you'd be busy and didn't want to spread you too thin. I hear you've been having some problems lately with that Sivana fellow."

"Yeah I guess, but Batman never calls me for anything," the magical hero pouted, the disappointment in his voice striking a chord with the usually stoic Man of Steel.

Sighing, Superman eventually comes clean to him. "Look, I have a history with this person, or whatever he calls himself these days. And while I usually like to do these things by myself, it certainly wouldn't hurt having someone watch my back."

"Really?" Captain Marvel's eyes lit up with a hopeful spark.

"The more the merrier," Superman smiled at him.

"Awesome!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, his childish joy nearly showing through his adult voice before he smartly pulled it back.

Chuckling slightly at his colleague's jubilant attitude, Superman returned his gaze back front and center.

" _And once I prove how good I really am with Superman, there's no way Batman is gonna leave me out on the bench again,"_ Billy Batson thought to himself eagerly, before coughing slightly to initiate his "manly voice."

"So uh, what are we dealing with here, Superman?"

" _Parasite,"_ Superman told him through gritted teeth, a palpable disdain in his voice as he forced the name out.

Furrowing his brow in slight confusion, Billy thought back to his last science class with Mrs. White. She was talking about the relationships in nature, and he was almost sure that that word popped up in her lecture. Or maybe it was the conversation he overhead at lunch about Donnie's mom's new boyfriend being a freeloading-

"You _did_ read the League databases of all documented criminal metahumans, right?" Interrupting his train of thoughts, Captain Marvel almost flinched as he faced Superman's piercing glare.

"Yeah, I like totally read those databases," Captain Marvel eventually assured him through his confident facade.

Billy Batson did not read the League databases.

"Right." Not delving into that any further, Superman spoke with a greater sense of urgency. "In any case, the Parasite is someone you most definitely do _not_ want to underestimate. He's a power-hungry psychopath who only cares about one thing: himself. And if he gets his hands on you, he'll take your strength, abilities, stamina- you name it- and use it against you."

Sobering up, Captain Marvel mentally prepared himself as Superman continues giving him an impromptu briefing on the metahuman.

"I've had a few encounters with him in Metropolis, and let's just say they weren't particularly shining moments in my career," he confessed painfully, a flicker of memory distorting his usually composed expression.

"So, he's kinda like a vampire then?"

"He's the guy vampires cower in fear from," Superman corrected him. "Besides a few dealings with Lex Luthor, the only thing the League knows for certain is that he goes by the alias of Raymond Jensen."

As Billy listens intently, Superman finished with a determined scowl, "Not even Batman knows how he even turned himself into that monster. But for now, the only thing that matters is that we contain him before he can escape with whatever's in that facility."

Nodding in affirmation, the two continue soaring above the oblivious citizens with nothing else said for a couple more blocks.

As the tense silence builds and builds, Billy finally works up the courage to say, "So hey Supe-"

"Call me Kal, Captain," Superman smiled at him, referring to his Kryptonian birth name.

Briefly tripping over his own words, Batson eventually found his voice. "So, I know you probably hear this a million times, and we work together which is already just so cool. But, between you and me…." He took a breath before the words came to him.

"I'm like your biggest fan," he finally breathed out gleefully, almost giddy with excitement.

An amused twinkle lit up Superman's piercing blue eyes for just a moment, as he noted Billy's now slightly blushing expression.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm pretty sure a magical imp from the fifth dimension might disagree with that statement," he smirked at the flustered hero.

Taken aback, he exclaimed, "Wait, there's a fifth dimen-?"

"Long story," Superman cut him off, for they had finally arrived at the location in question: S.T.A.R. Labs.

"I'll tell you all about it another time. But for now…"

Stopping in mid-air to survey the scene below, Superman placed a reassuring hand on Captain Marvel's shoulder. "Let's just focus on the here and now, shall we?"

* * *

"General, would you care to step outside?"

The doors to the military surveillance van opened up to answer Superman's calm but commanding voice.

Lowering down to the ground, the ever-observant Man of Steel quickly took in his surroundings as General Wade Eiling exited the vehicle.

The area surrounding the entrance to the S.T.A.R. Labs facility was now almost completely dominated by military and police personnel, with at least two dozen assault weapons being aimed at the front doors alone.

Many of the lab scientists were currently either being helped on stretchers or questioned by police officers depending on the extent of their injuries.

While many of the city police patrolled the perimeter to keep bystanders and curious civilians out of the vicinity, the brunt of the enforcing personnel consisted mainly of U.S. Marines.

Sporting the typical rugged features that goes with being a career soldier, Eiling's bleak blue eyes fixed upon the descending Kryptonian.

As his boots touched the grass, Superman walked up to the high-ranking officer.

"For once, I'm glad to see you capes," he remarked wearily, shaking hands with the Kryptonian.

"I came as soon as I could. Has the situation changed any?" he asked.

"We've sealed off all potential exits, but that _thing_ is still in there. The scientists have all been evacuated safely, but unfortunately we can't yet account for the security team that remained behind to stop him," the General told him.

Craning his neck towards the guarded entrance, Superman's eyes focused on the subtle energy fields from within the building, utilizing a form of X-ray vision to fully scan the area.

"I see six people still in inside, all in need of medical attention. We'll take care of it," Superman finally told the General.

General Eiling raised a quizzical eyebrow. "We?"

As if on cue, Captain Marvel landed on the ground next to them wearing a look of boyish awe.

"Jeez, they called the whole army in just for one guy?" He not-to-subtly whispered into Superman's ear.

"He's not just one guy, Captain Marvel. He's an Omega-level threat on our metahuman charts. Wanted not just by the U.S. Government, but also by Interpol. So, you'd understand that this is a little above the Fawcett City Police Department's pay grade," the General pointed out.

"No offense General, but I doubt these bullets are going to do much damage once he gets his hands on whatever's in that lab. And the last thing we need is a show of 'military strength' spilling out to the streets," Superman commented warily.

"Hopefully it won't come to that. I've got a shipment of the last anti-metahuman weaponry coming in, courtesy of Kord Industries. The E.T.A. is roughly fifteen minutes but-"

"It won't come to that," Superman declared firmly, taking a step towards S.T.A.R. Labs. "Tell your men to hold the line, General. We won't be long."

Stepping aside as the Man of Steel stalked intently towards the lab entrance, a worried look crossed Wade Eiling's grizzled features as he scratched the back of his graying hair.

Walking up to the general, the magical hero rested his sizable forearm on the man's shoulder for a moment before beaming at his idol.

"Don't worry, dude. We've got this!" Captain Marvel assured the general with a wink, before sprinting forward to catch up with his Kryptonian teammate.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note: Again, any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping to finish this story up in the coming weeks, so thanks again for reading and stay 'whelmed! :)_**


	3. Chapter 3

" _Holy Moly!"_

Captain Marvel's eyes grew wide as he fully took in the remains of the S.T.A.R. Labs security detail.

Following Superman's lead into the front lobby, the world's mightiest mortal quickly sobered up as the gravitas of the situation hit him like a wrecking ball.

At least four security guards were sprawled out on the floor, each one either unconscious or close to it.

The front desk had been nearly split in two, with the surrounding walls and ceiling showing the destructive aftereffects of the Parasite's entrance.

Taking a knee next to one of a guard barely stirring, Superman quickly scanned his body for any broken bones or other internal injuries, and upon finding none, turned back towards the cautiously approaching hero Billy Batson.

"We need to get these people to safety, now," Kal-El informed Captain Marvel, before turning back towards the prone man. "Do you think you can-?"

Before Superman could even finish his sentence, a sudden gust of wind caressed his face courtesy of a crimson blur suddenly dashing right in front of him and disappearing with the body.

Within seconds, the same blur danced circles around the lobby while at the same time carrying every single guard outside to a safe distance.

By the time the Man of Steel had risen back up to his feet, Captain Marvel had reappeared in front of him.

"Done," he beamed confidently, his hands on his hips in a heroic pose.

"Showoff," Superman smirked at him, before advancing towards the locked entrance.

A slight blush adorned Billy Batson's cheeks as Superman reared back his fist at the protective metal doors and then-

 _BAM!_ The double doors flew off their hinges at the exact nanosecond that his fist made contact.

As they skidded noisily across the chrome corridor, the Kryptonian quickly scanned the passageway for danger before starting forward.

Two ceiling lights flickered on and off, illuminating the metallic hallway in an eerie crimson glow as the two powerhouses made their way through.

"Quick word of advice, Captain..." Superman's eyes continued scanning through the walls before resting their piercing gaze on Batson.

"Keep your distance if you can help it, but if not, attack and subdue with caution. Do _not_ , under any circumstances, underestimate him."

"Yes sir," the magical hero nodded, even saluting the founding member of the League.

"You know you don't have to call me 'sir,' right?" Superman reminded him bemusedly.

Still saluting, Batson quickly replied with a courteous "Understood, sir."

Stopping at the second set of metal doors at the end of the hallway, a determined Superman wedged his fingers through an opening at the middle and pried the doors open.

The ghastly scene unveiled before them reminded Billy Batson of some of those scary old alien movies that he and his Uncle Dudley watched.

" _Well, used to watch."_ Amending his thought, he made a mental note to himself as his eyes adjusted to the ominous atmosphere permeating around them.

Giving the visibly anxious hero a reassuring nod, Superman ventured further utilizing his X-Ray Vision to scan for suspicious activity while Billy observed the destroyed remnants of the once lively and fully operational lab.

Scientific equipment, computer monitors, and display screens used to study metahumans were now little more than malfunctioning heaps of metal, the occasional electric spark emitting from their now destroyed exteriors.

Broken test tubes and lab documents littered the floor, with the ceiling above with its flickering lights and hanging rebar faring little better.

Superhuman ears pricking in the direction of a nearby dripping noise, the Man of Steel cautiously divulged from the main path leaving the magical hero to continue on his own.

Walking along a lab counter, Captain Marvel raised a quizzical eyebrow as he came across several stasis chambers lined up against other.

Consisting of various shapes and sizes, they were virtually untouched from the Parasite's rampage.

Passing the first two containers, Batson squinted his eyes at the third, human-sized chamber that housed a seemingly masculine figure within it.

Obscured by a dense, white liquid enveloping the entire container, the human specimen was crouched up against the reinforced glass, his face hidden from the magical champion.

The now curious Captain Marvel gave the glass an experimental tap, utilizing just a fraction of Achilles' strength to provoke a reaction.

Seconds later, the figure remained motionless, oblivious to his presence.

Frowning slightly, he nevertheless moved on to the final one.

Much smaller than the others, this chamber resembled a mason jar more than anything else.

Propped up on a counter, the specimen contained within sported a much more serpentine, yet strangely familiar shape for the caped champion.

Bending down slightly to get a better look at it, he started to tap on the glass before the creature became aware of his presence.

No more than a few inches long, it, at least from a distance, resembled an Earthworm at its most larval stage.

However, Billy Batson knew better than that.

Bladed limbs, horned antenna, a green underbelly, and yellow piercing eyes all pointed to something he knew all too well.

"Wormy, is that you?" Batson grinned, his boyish grin spreading from cheek to cheek as the alien orgasm fixed its enthralling pupils upon him.

Its hypnotizing effect apparently negated by the properties embedded within the holding liquid, the invader from Venus referred to by Freddy Freeman as Mr. Mind could only stare menacingly at the general direction of his enthusiastic voice.

"So, this is where they took you after you sent those crocodile people after me, huh?" Batson remarked, allowing himself a brief chuckle at the alien's expense.

"You know, after all that nonsense you tried to pull last week, I hope this little timeout teaches you a valuable lesson," he scolded the alien worm, wagging his finger at it disapprovingly before continuing on, "I mean really dude, mind control? At least, like, ask people for permission first. The way you did it, my friend, was just plain _rude_. But…"

Sighing, Batson further reprimanded his telekinetic nemesis, "You have some time to think about what you did _and_ reflect. And when I come back here next time, I expect a full apology from you, okay Wormy? Now, I want you to nod your head yes."

Mr. Mind did not nod his head yes.

Smirking, Captain was just about to say something else when a mischievous thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Looking both ways to make sure nobody was looking, Batson held both hands up to his ears and blew a mocking raspberry at the contained creature.

"Captain."

Tearing himself away from the malevolent Mr. Mind, Batson stood back up and directed his immediate attention to the lab examination table the Man of Steel was now situated at.

Just out of his periphery, however, the humanoid mass in the center stasis chamber began to stir.

Examining a test tube holder still on the counter, Superman had taken a knee to better analyze a broken test tube with its crimson contents now leaking onto the floor.

Picking up the broken glass, Superman narrowed his eyes at the taped label before looking up at Shazam's champion.

"We have a problem," he told the magical hero grimly, holding up the broken shard so that Captain Marvel could make out the name scribbled across it.

 _Black Canary._

"This S.T.A.R. Labs had blood samples of almost the whole League," he explained, rising up to his feet. "That's what Parasite was after here."

Captain Marvel's eyes immediately widened in shock, but before he could verbalize any of it a faint cracking sound from his left caught his attention.

Returning back to the human-sized chamber, he raised a quizzical eyebrow as visible cracks began to show up all across its surface.

"Uh…. Superman, think you might want to take a look at this," Batson called towards him, a hint of worry in his voice as he continued examining the black mass of humanoid flesh coming back to life.

"You see something?"

"More like someone." Tracing the growing cracks with one hand, he was about to lean in for a better look when the humanoid mass suddenly lifted up his head to meet him halfway.

His eyes were a black abyss of depravity, with only a bleak modicum of yellow sprinkled within them.

However, his mouth told an entirely different story.

Lips curling into an almost demonic grin, Captain Marvel only had a split second to react before Parasite opened his mouth, and unleashed hell on earth.

* * *

 **Author's Note: First of all, hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!**

 **Secondly and most importantly, I'd like to apologize for the delay on this story. Unfortunately this Fall, I was blindsided by college and all the "lovely" projects/essays that it entails. As a result, I had to click pause on my creative writing and focus purely on my studies. Again, apologies to all those who have been waiting these past few months for an update.**

 **The good news, is that I'm back now and will do my best to get this story finished by around the beginning of January. In the meantime, any feedback is very much appreciated and thanks so much for reading! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

An ear-splitting sonic scream erupted from the mutated metahuman's mouth, instantly shattering the glass and knocking Captain Marvel off his feet.

Launched backwards in a surprised daze, he crashed through a computer desk sending lab reports, microscopes and pencils flying wildly in the air.

Slumping over to the floor, Billy sorely rubbed the back of his head as Superman quickly rushed over to his side.

Emerging from the cylindrical cocoon, the being known (and feared) as the Parasite cracked his neck eagerly before fully stepping into the light.

A hairless, remorseless humanoid with a physically impressive physique to boot, his skin complexion was almost entirely dark purple with various root-like protrusions snaking his face and upper chest.

He was dressed only in sleek black pants, baring his muscular torso and sinister intentions.

Standing in front of the still reeling Captain Marvel, Kal-El steeled his facial expression as he stared down the purple metahuman.

"I gotta admit Superman, the service here sucks. I've been waiting a half hour, and only now do they finally bring out the main entrees," the Parasite grinned, his gleaming teeth showing as he gestured at the two Leaguers. "But you know what they say. Better late than never."

The Kryptonian's eyes narrowed. "More like never. You have two options here, Raymond, and I'm only going to say it once. You can either come with us quietly, or we'll drag you back to Belle Reve kicking and screaming."

"Yeah, what he said," Captain Marvel added, fighting a slight headache courtesy of the faux Canary cry.

Flashing them a knowing smirk, Parasite replied simply, "I think I prefer kicking and screaming."

And with that, he opened his mouth and unleashed another supersonic cry, its destructive waves aimed directly at the heroic duo.

Caught at close range, Superman fell down to a knee, gripping his now throbbing ears as Parasite's sonic attack continued to reverberate all around him.

"N-n-not again!" Shielding his ears against the deafening screech, Captain Marvel remained on his knees until the metahuman relented seconds later.

Gritting his teeth at the heavy ringing still present in his sensitive eardrums, the Kryptonian glowered up resentfully as the ghoulish metahuman crossed his arms smugly.

Noticing his pained grimace, Parasite taunted him, "Didn't see that coming, did you big boy?"

"How…did you...steal...her...?" Before Superman could finish his disjointed sentence, Parasite dismissively scoffed at him, " _I_ didn't steal anything. No, for that little number you can thank the lab coats here at S.T.A.R. Labs. Evidently, they've been cleaning up the Justice League's messes for quite a while now, collecting blood samples, running their little tests, blah blah blah. I'm sure they thought it was a noble endeavor and all, but unfortunately for them they made a mistake."

Parasite's eyes, an abyss of darkness in themselves, narrowed into irritable diamonds. "They forgot to invite me."

"What did you do, Raymond?" Superman growled, stalling just enough to fully regain his bearings.

"What did I do?" the Parasite chided at him mockingly, his nasal laughter echoing against the metallic walls as he sneered, "Well, what didn't I do? You don't just set up the biggest buffet in town, appetizers and all, and not invite your best customer! That's just bad business, Superman."

"And you, of all people, should know how much of a _glutton_ I am," he added in a particularly sinister tone, before continuing with a sigh, "Now, it took a little convincing, more than I'm sure they were comfortable with, but in the end, they gave me exactly what I wanted. And when the customer is happy, everyone gets to go home happy in one piece."

Smirking, he chuckled darkly, "More or less."

Superman's eyes glowed crimson, lighting up the floor beneath him.

"See, before I wasted my time hunting you heroes down one on one. But now that I can access that _delicious_ DNA directly through those blood samples, I can be anyone, _anything_ that I want. Now before you hurt your head thinking about it too much, let me just spell it out for you." Pausing for dramatic effect, Parasite held both arms out in a confident pose. "I am the League now. Metahuman-"

Cutting him off mid-monologue, Superman shot out a raging ruby blast from his pupils, the twin beams heading directly towards center mass.

Making no move to defend himself, he only smiled as Superman's heat vision shot towards him….

….. and promptly disappeared right _through_ his chest!

His monstrous form briefly became intangible before returning back to normal as the blast instead scorched the concrete wall.

"-and alien," Parasite finished with a devious smile, a stark contrast to Superman and Captain Marvel's surprised gasp.

Blitzing forward in a dazzling blur quite reminiscent of the Flash, the Parasite was already upon the Kryptonian before he could even fully get off the ground.

Seizing him by the throat, the metahuman almost effortlessly hoisted Superman up in the air, his one-handed grip surprisingly firm and oppressive.

"I do love me some Martian, but there's nothing like an old-fashioned slice of Kryptonian to really sate the appetite, eh Superman?" he grinned devilishly, his bare hand closing in around the Man of Steel's throat.

Eyes bulging in shock, Superman could only wince painfully to his adversary's malicious touch as another, much more familiar sensation soon crept back in.

 _Weakness._

Almost immediately, he felt his superhuman strength being drained, siphoned away from his Herculean muscles and transferred directly to the humanoid.

The Parasite's expression shifted to one of utter exuberance as he gleefully watched Superman squirm and struggle, but ultimately be completely powerless as _he_ took the power away from the fabled hero.

Clawing at his outstretched forearm desperately, Superman thrashed and fought against his overwhelming grip, but with every agonizing second his movements became much more sluggish and feebler.

Letting out a victorious sigh all his own, the Parasite was in complete control as he felt Superman begin to falter and-

"Hands off, ugly!" With a grunt, Captain Marvel shoulder checked the Parasite, forcibly knocking the villain backwards.

Releasing his hold, the humanoid collided backfirst against the stasis chamber, slumping down to the ground with a faint moan.

Catching Superman just before he collapsed, Batson gently laid him down against a nearby counter before facing the supervillain head-on.

Warily approaching the still downed metahuman, he remained on his guard as the Parasite finally lifted up his head.

Instead of anger, however, the human-sized leech instead sized up the wizard's champion with a degree of, strangely enough, curiosity.

"I actually felt that. Good," he nodded, almost out of respect for the champion of the gods.

Brushing off the move like it was nothing, the Parasite got to his feet. "I don't recognize that stupid costume, so we obviously haven't been acquainted yet. I like to know my victims, so, you got a name?"

"Yeah." Hands on his hips, Billy Batson declared confidently, "My name's Captain Marvel, and I'm the guy who's going to kick your butt!"

"A sense of humor too. How cute," the Parasite growled, his eyes now burning crimson.

With a cry, he unleashed his own version of Superman's heat-vision straight towards the hero!

Taking into the air, Marvel shot to the right, avoiding the incendiary beams just in time.

Heading straight towards the Parasite, Billy reared back his right hand and launched a momentous right cross towards the Parasite.

Rendering himself intangible just as the fist entered his range, the fist instead harmlessly sailed through the Parasite's entire torso, along with the rest of Captain Marvel.

Touching down now with his back facing the supervillain, Billy twirled around but it was too late.

A swift Kryptonian-enhanced back first to the chin jolted him, followed quickly by a powerful uppercut to his gut.

Grabbing the nearly doubled over Captain by his white cape, Parasite smirked arrogantly before throwing him against the stasis chambers with only a mere twist of his hips.

Smashing through one of the glass chambers, Billy flopped down to the floor with an arched back and a head full of stars.

" _So, Plan B, then,"_ he thought to himself, fighting through a brief mental daze as the purple humanoid rounded the corner to face him directly.

"I don't think you get it yet, kid. If _Superman_ can't beat me-" His remorseless eyes closed in on Batson before telling him, "No one can."

Opening his mouth, the Parasite unleashed another corrupted Canary cry.

Channeling Mercury's speed, Billy sped out of its destructive trajectory just in time, the sonic waves instead destroying the glass chamber he was taking cover behind.

Becoming a crimson blur that zigzagged around the maze of scientific equipment, Billy came back around with a vengeance just as the metahuman was about to utilize his acquired heat vision.

"Ugghhh…" Intercepting him a split second later, Billy delivered a thunderous left uppercut directly behind the Parasite's jawline, launching him off his feet.

Flailing wildly in the air, the supervillain's fall was finally "broken" through a computer desk.

Regaining his previously confident composure, Billy cracked his knuckles eagerly before bolting forwards to press his advantage.

Pushing himself out of the mess of wires and cracked computer screens, the Parasite was no longer amused as he observed Captain Marvel hurtling towards him like a crimson rocket.

"Enough games!" he roared, his eyes now glowing green.

Holding his right hand out, a look of brief strain crossed his purple visage before he activated yet another one of his acquired abilities.

Cocking his fist back, Batson was about to drive his point home when he quickly found himself unable to do that, or rather, do anything at all.

His body was now completely frozen in mid-air, and despite his best efforts he couldn't move a single muscle.

Taking his time getting back up, the Parasite made his way towards the trapped champion with his eyes still mimicking Martian telepathy.

"You've got some fight in you, kid," he taunted, reaching out with his other hand to grab Marvel's exposed neck. "Let's see what else you've got."

But before he could do that, an even bigger set of arms suddenly hooked his armpits!

Wrenching the Parasite backwards, Superman captured his nemesis in a full nelson choke hold before he could react.

Breaking his concentration, the Man of Steel gladly cranked up the pressure as Batson nearly faceplanted on the floor, only catching himself at the last second.

"How long do you think you can hold me?" the Parasite snarled back to the Kryptonian, who despite his weakened state told him, "Long enough."

Following his mentor's cue, Captain Marvel sprung back up delivering a powerful right to the Parasite's jaw, and then a winding uppercut to his gut.

A downright goofy grin crossed the young hero's face as he continued unloading on the purple humanoid, slowly but surely wearing him down with every Herculean blow.

Finally rearing back with his dominant hand as the Parasite started to slump forwards groggily, Batson threw another haymaker aimed directly at the villain's dazed expression.

It connected, but not at the Parasite.

Shifting his density to the point of intangibility, the villain remained still as Batson's fist sailed harmlessly through his body and instead inadvertently clocked the Man of Steel.

Eyes widening in surprise as Superman winced in pain, Billy Batson fumbled to sting together an apologetic response only to be blasted back by a desperate burst of the metahuman's heat vision.

Renewing his struggles against Superman, Parasite threw himself backwards with the Kryptonian still wrestling with him.

Flying up into the air, the humanoid finally loosened up Superman's hold by slamming him backfirst against the ceiling.

Breaking free, he whirled back around and once again seized the Man of Steel by the throat.

Pinning him against the metal surface, he and Superman both now hovered perpendicular to the ground below.

Sitting back up now clutching his hopefully not burnt midsection, Batson's eyes widened as they homed in on the scene unfolding above.

Easily fighting off Superman's protests, the Parasite now wrapped both arms around his neck and began replenishing his strength at the hero's expense.

Leaning in to fully relish his agonizing grimace, the malevolent metahuman hissed at the writhing man, "After I finish you, I'm going to enjoy draining the kid nice and sl- _argh._ "

Snapping his head forwards, Superman caught the gloating supervillain square in the nose with a violent blur of a headbutt, forcing him to break the hold.

"You talk too much," he defiantly mocked the slightly flustered supervillain.

Baring his teeth, Parasite started to lunge forward only to be met with a startling right hand from Metropolis' protector.

Keeping up the momentum, Superman delivered another powerful cross to his temple that sent the humanoid spinning a full rotation of grogginess before finally coming back around for more.

Ducking a wild haymaker, Kal-El parried another punch with a jab of his own, becoming increasingly more energized with every landing blow.

"Hah!" A fourth strike, delivered with his signature level of strength, finally created some distance between the two, catapulting the purple rogue backwards.

Righting himself in the air, the Parasite's eyes burned crimson once again.

However, Superman had the same idea.

Both combatants shot out their heat vision at the same time, bathing the room in crimson light as both beams met in the middle.

Grunting heavily, Superman remained steadfast but even he couldn't deny the Parasite's crimson beam starting to gain traction.

The crimson glow from their energy clash only highlighted every detail of the rogue's truly demonic expression: his insane eyes, his thin lips curling into the beginnings of a triumphant smirk- all of it.

But it also highlighted a hulking blur of movement coming at him from behind.

Driving his shoulder into the unsuspecting villain's lower back, Captain Marvel's aerial momentum finally broke the Parasite's focus.

Wrapping his forearms around his waist, Batson continued forward with the metahuman caught in his grasp.

Taking a moment to reorient himself, Superman shifted over to the side Parasite was propelled directly into striking range.

Measuring his target, the Kryptonian readied his right forearm and then….

"Hah!" Parasite's head was nearly decapitated as Superman exploded into him with a massive clothesline, his mountainous forearm knocking the supervillain backwards.

Still gripping his legs, Marvel held him in place as Superman brought both hands down on the supervillain's stomach in a powerful axe handle, sending him plummeting back down to the floor.

As he fell back down to Earth, however, Superman "accelerated" his descent by firing off another crimson blast that lit up his monstrous exterior.

Shrieking in pain, the metahuman quickly built up momentum as the ground rose up to meet him.

Landing with an emphatic _thump_ , the Parasite rolled over into a prone position with a thin wisp of smoke now trailing from his midsection.

Seconds passed, and the being once known as Raymond Jensen was still down, and seemingly out by their hand.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Batson beamed happily, offering a high five to the Man of Steel.

Wearily returning the friendly gesture, the two then followed Parasite back down.

Touching the ground first, Captain Marvel cautiously prodded at the still face down metahuman with the toe of his boot.

No response.

"Hey Superman, I think we got him," Batson grinned proudly, his hopeful sentiment not shared by the Kryptonian who landed next to him a moment later.

Still fighting off the effects of the metahuman's parasitic abilities, Superman crossed his powerfully built arms across his chest, obviously deep in thought.

His X-Ray vision indicated a relaxed heartbeat emitting from the supervillain, similar to someone who was either unconscious or at least close to it.

Oblivious to them, however, Parasite's eyes quietly opened, an emerald glue in each pupil.

"For now," Superman finally answered him, taking a knee next to his monstrous foe. "Knowing him, he won't stay down long. Captain?"

Marvel perked up as Kal-El instructed him, "Find General Eiling and get a metahuman dampening collar. The sooner we tag this monster, the sooner we can- _ack_!"

Before he could finish his thoughts, Parasite's hand suddenly shot up and grabbed him by the throat.

Choking on his own words, Superman barely had time to react as the supervillain peeled his monstrous visage off the floor.

"Oh, but we were having so much fun," he growled, his game of possum catching both heroes by surprise.

Breaking out of his shocked stupor first, Captain Marvel lunged towards the villain only to be hurled back by another one of his telepathic waves.

Hurtling backwards at a breakneck pace, Billy barely had time to brace himself before crashing directly through the nearby wall.

A pile of debris and bricks immediately caved in on him, completely smothering the young hero in a mountain of brown and industrial black.

"That takes care of him." Craning his neck back to the Kryptonian, the metahuman rose back up with Superman still in his veritable grip.

Holding him up above the ground with the utmost of ease, the Parasite proceeded to drain him once again, his now rejuvenated expression a deep contrast to Superman's increasingly fatigued grimace.

Recharging his energies until his already bulging biceps exuded the pure aura of full-blooded Kryptonian might, the Parasite took in a long, rewarding breath while dominantly holding the hero up with only one hand.

"Sometimes, you just make this too easy, Superman," he mocked with a devious chuckle, relishing Superman's tortured expression a second longer before telling him, "Now, as fun as this has all been, I'm afraid I must get going. Things to do, powers to steal, you know how it is."

"It….won't…..last," he groaned hoarsely, even his usually authoritative voice strained by the metahuman's invasive presence.

Smirking, the Parasite cocked his head towards the right before sneering at him, "Good thing you're not the only thing on the menu, then."

Furrowing his brow in confusion, Superman was about to question his seemingly enigmatic statement before suddenly being thrown backwards.

Skidding across the floor, the Man of Steel could only wince and glare up weakly as the Parasite's eyes now switched to crimson.

Aiming his destructive glare upwards, the supervillain's ruby beams sliced through the base of a rather gargantuan set of machinery.

The remnants promptly fell down on the downed Superman, burying him completely underneath at least a few feet of solid metal.

"Give my compliments to the chefs," the Parasite called out, speeding back over to a nearby table.

Kneeling underneath the counter, he retrieved a metallic briefcase and opened it briefly to examine its contents.

At least six capsules were strapped against the leather, with almost every superpowered member of the League, human or otherwise, scribbled across the containers.

Grinning from ear to ear, he snapped the briefcase shut and shot up into the air, using his entire body as an indestructible battering ram to smash through the ceiling and escape into the city above.

* * *

 **Author's Note: The story should wrap up soon, but in the meantime, thanks so much for reading and as always feedback would greatly be appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Well, that hurt._

Finally emerging out of the half-ton of fallen debris, Captain Marvel grabbed on to a hanging piece of rebar for support as he gingerly pulled himself back up.

Lurching forwards with a brief stagger in his step, he wiped the remaining dust off his shoulders and quickly scanned the area for any signs of the monstrous metahuman.

"Aww man," he complained under his breath, his annoyance at being bested quickly dwarfed by a growing sense of dread as his eyes trailed up to the quite visible hole in the ceiling where the Parasite had made his exit.

Before he could give any more thought to his current predicament, the sound of metal shifting from his right captivated his attention.

Flexing his muscles, the beleaguered yet determined Superman started to press the broken chunks of machinery off him.

"Superman!" Rushing over to his aid, Batson quickly assisted in lifting the remaining debris off the Man of Steel.

After tossing the last remaining metallic chunk, Marvel offered his hand to the still slightly groggy hero..

Accepting it, the Kryptonian rose back up to his feet, briefly leaning on the wizard's champion for support.

"Well, that could've gone better," he admitted, wincing slightly as he sorely felt the back of his neck.

"So uh, what now?"

Before answering, Superman's trained ears picked up on some noise emanating from outside the facility.

"General Eiling and his men have opened fire on the Parasite. It won't hold him for long, but it gives us enough time to strategize," he informed the young hero.

Biting his lip nervously, Captain Marvel reluctantly confessed, "No offense Superman, but strategy is kinda Batman's thing. But, I'm all ears if you-"

Placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, Superman gave him an encouraging smile, "It's your city, Captain. Your call."

Slightly blushing, Billy Batson briefly turned away from the Kryptonian's assuring glance, retreating into the confines of his mind.

" _Wisdom of Solomon, don't let me down now,"_ he thought to himself anxiously, racking his head until it finally came to him.

Looking back at Superman, a mental light bulb now lit up his youthful features.

"Okay, so I may have a few ideas."

* * *

"OPEN FIRE NOW!"

Despite at least two dozen assault weapons all going off at the same time, General Wade Eiling's authoritative voice stood out as he directed his men.

As soon as the Parasite emerged from the roof of the S.T.A.R. Labs facility carrying the briefcase, he was immediately met with a heavy wave of machine gunfire and other weaponry designed specially for metahuman threats.

Military troops and Fawcett City police alike all took up various positions on the front lawns, their assault weapons trained directly at the monstrous target hovering over them.

Standing fearlessly in front of an army Humvee, he held a megaphone in one hand and a pair of binoculars in the other.

Initially attempting to maneuver around the lead volleys, the Parasite was forced to a stop as the concentrated gunfire closed in on his chest.

Within seconds, bullets and other energetic projectiles pierced his torso, with a few stray rounds even managing to graze his face.

Naturally, possessing the bulletproof durability of Superman protected him from any real damage, but the volleys of bullets swarming all around him certainly proved to be a sizable enough distraction.

Taking cover next to the armored vehicle hood, he barked to a nearby soldier, "Private Reid, get the Boot up and running now! I want that purple raisin taken down, _now_!"

Nodding in affirmation, the blonde marine retrieved a futuristic projectile launcher from inside the truck and took aim next to the General.

"On my command…" Watching the Parasite still struggling to break free of the collective assault through his binoculars, Eiling held up a steadying hand as Private David Reid flipped a switch to charge up the weapon.

"Wait for it…"

Sensing a brief lull in the gunfire, Eiling suddenly shouted out, "NOW, Private! Fire at will!"

Having acquired his target, Reid squeezed the trigger, firing off an electric blur of metal that shot upwards towards the supervillain.

"Now, you're just annoying m- _aarrghh_!" Parasite started to yell at them, only to be cut off as a giant metal hook suddenly clamped around his midsection.

Upon making contact, thousands of electric volts surged through his monstrous frame, shocking him to the point of uttering unintelligible grunts.

At Eiling's command, the rest of the troops momentarily ceased fire as he continued writhing in the air, the anti-metahuman device evidently doing its job of neutralizing its wearer.

With the electrical discharges continuing to arc around his torso, the supervillain's struggles began to noticeably die down.

"Thank you, Ted Kord," Wade Eiling muttered to himself, observing the handiwork of Kord Industries' best play out in spectacular fashion.

Smirking confidently, Eiling stood up from his cover and patted Reid on the shoulder.

"That's some mighty fine shooting there, private. When we get back to HQ, I'll put in a good word for you. Maybe get you a promotion or-" Before he could finish his congratulatory statement, the soldier's eyes suddenly widened in surprise.

Pointing at the sky, he stammered out, "Uh sir, I think you should take a look up."

Turning back towards the metahuman with a skeptical scoff, Eiling pressed the binocular lens against his eyes.

Still visibly in pain, the Parasite's eyes quickly morphed to green, prompting the rest of his body to begin shifting its density.

Though the process is much slower than usual due to the electrical discharges hampering his focus, the supervillain ultimately was able to phase himself right through the metal device.

Plummeting harmlessly back down to Earth, the Boot continued to emit its electrical discharge as the Parasite, now freed, bore his vengeful glare down upon the soldiers.

"That…. was…. unpleasant," he snarled, his eyes now burning with fiery vengeance.

Lowering his binoculars to reveal an uncharacteristically horrified expression on the usually stoic military man, General Wade Eiling barely had time to tackle the frozen private to the ground as the Parasite unleashed his heat vision.

A tidal wave of crimson energy erupted from the monstrous being, instantly slicing right through many of the armored vehicles and just barely missing the soldiers beside them.

"Fall back! Retreat!" The general yelled, scrambling for cover as Parasite continued destroying countless vehicles and equipment.

Eiling's men frantically followed in their leader's footsteps, melding into a fear-stricken mass of humanity desperate to avoid his deadly rays.

His lips curling into a sadistic grin, the Parasite began to concentrate his destructive glare on the retreating general, his crimson beam inching ever closer to his fleeing form.

"Hey!"

Jolted out of his malevolent glee, the metahuman turned around towards the general direction of the voice.

In its place, however, was none other than Captain Marvel.

"How about you pick on someone your own size?" he declared confidently, his cape lightly dancing in the wind as he fearlessly stared down the villain.

Where there initially was anger, there was now only amusement in the eyes of the Parasite.

"That's what I love about you hero types. Always coming back for more," he sneered, his eyes reverting back to the Martian shade of green.

Raising his free arm, he closed his fist and brought it close to his chest, simultaneously pulling the young hero towards him using his acquired telekinesis.

As his body was manipulated and moved towards the awaiting Parasite, Batson only feigned a surprised expression with the Parasite's predatory grin growing nearer.

"That's it. Come to Daddy!" he smiled deviously, completely oblivious to a second figure coming up on him from behind.

"Aarrgghh!" Superman's heat vision suddenly struck his unprotected spine, forcing a pained yelp to escape his lips as he momentarily lost his concentration.

Now freed of the Parasite's telekinetic control, Batson continued to soar forwards on his already generated momentum until he was finally upon him.

Summoning the strength of Zeus, Captain Marvel delivered a thunderous uppercut right underneath the Parasite's unsuspecting chin, launching him up even higher in the air.

As the monstrous being's body started to arch back down, Batson followed up by grabbing hold of his ankle and spinning him around in the air at hurricane speed.

Transforming into a crimson blur as he whirled the supervillain around him, Marvel finally released his ankle sending the Parasite hurtling away.

Both heroes looked on as the supervillain crashed down on a nearby rooftop, skidding across the concrete with the briefcase slipping free of his grasp in the process.

Rolling over on his stomach upon impact, he let out a frustrated growl before slowly dragging himself towards the briefcase.

Crawling on his elbows and knees, he reached out for the case handle only to recoil back in pain as a well-timed blast of Superman's crimson beams singed the back of his hand.

His eyes returning back to normal, the Man of Steel confidently hovered above the still down supervillain, Captain Marvel flanking him on his right.

"It's over, Raymond. Your cell at Bell Reve awaits," he told the seething supervillain firmly.

Laughing to himself mirthlessly, the Parasite examined his hand before shooting back, "Only if you can catch me."

And on that note, he suddenly opened his mouth, unleashing a supersonic cry that sent both Superman and Captain Marvel careening backwards.

Taking advantage, he sprang back up to his feet and once again took to the air, leaving the briefcase behind.

Righting himself in mid-air, Superman grabbed onto Batson's golden sash to steady the young hero before following his monstrous adversary deeper into Fawcett City.

"Man, I hate it when he does that," Marvel remarked irritably, still rubbing his ears as he joined the Kryptonian in his pursuit.

Nearby buildings and warehouses became little more than towering blurs as the boy-hero tore through the air, his determined glare focused solely on stopping the supervillain once and for all.

Flying at a speed comparable to a passenger jet, the Parasite almost effortlessly navigated through the industrial maze as he sought to lose his heroic pursuers.

Turning around a corner, he chanced a quick glance backwards only to snarl angrily with both the Man of Steel and the world's mightiest mortal slowly but surely gaining on his rear.

Craning his neck to the side, his eyes flooded crimson once again as he shot off another burst of heat-vision, aimed not at them, but rather a nearby billboard advertising Fawcett City's local radio station, _WHIZ Radio._

His twin beams managed to slice through the single metallic pole keeping the rectangular board upright.

Both heroes came to an immediate halt as the billboard toppled over, falling off the building housing it and unto the streets below.

"I've got this. Go after Jerkface," Batson urged the Man of Steel, not waiting for his answer before swooping down towards the ground level.

Reluctantly, Superman resumed his pursuit as the falling billboard built up momentum.

Shooting past the rectangular structure, he first located the various people who were currently in the shadow of the billboard's inevitable landing.

Acting without a split second of hesitation, Captain Marvel became a frantic blur as he scooped up every man, woman, and child currently on the crosswalk.

Depositing them safely on the other side of the block, he lastly handed a puppy to its confused owner and watched as the billboard crashed on the now empty road.

Turning to the growing crowd of spectators gathering around him, Batson gave them a friendly salute before taking off into the air once again.

* * *

Maneuvering through a half-finished construction site, the ever determined Superman remained in hot pursuit of the Parasite.

Blazing through the air at his top speeds, the hero narrowed his eyes intently as he gained ever so closer to finally catching the malicious metahuman.

Unable to lose the Man of Steel no matter how many sharp turns and sudden detours he took, the supervillain desperately fired off another blast of heat-vision at the hero.

Shifting to the right to dodge the crimson blast, Superman returned the favor with a blast of his own.

Just barely grazing the supervillain's shoulder, it was at least enough to slightly slow him down mid-flight.

Whirling around in an infuriated fit, he retaliated with a more emotionally-charged crimson blast, one that forced the Kryptonian to dive downwards n order to fully evade its deadly radius.

Turning back around, the Parasite's seething expression quickly turned to shock as he rapidly closed in on Captain Marvel's grinning figure.

Hovering in the air with his arms crossed, Billy Batson cocked a confident smirk before cocking his fist and, timing his moment just right, catching the accelerating villain with a massive clothesline right to the jaw.

Using his own momentum against him, the surprise attack sent the now dazed Parasite plummeting back down with his limbs flailing about wildly.

A visibly impressed Superman came to a stop next to the Fawcett City hero, pausing only to ask, "How'd you get here so first?"

Shrugging, Billy told him simply, "I took the subway."

Unable to right himself mid-fall, the Parasite found himself swallowing a facefull of concrete as he crash landed on Beck Street.

Forming a sizable crater as his monstrous body impacted the striped road, he painfully writhed around as cars all around him came to a screeching halt.

Eventually crawling out of the crater with his pants torn and visible annoyance written all over his face, the supervillain staggered to a nearby lamppost as now terrified passerby scattered from his presence.

Ignoring an SUV just barely coming short of bumping into him from behind, he glowered up angrily as both League members landed on the intersection facing him.

"This ends, _now_ ," Superman declared, assuming an offensive stance.

Chuckling, the Parasite pushed himself off the metallic pole and cracked his neck eagerly.

"I couldn't agree more," he replied through gritted teeth, suddenly turning back to the SUV.

The inhabitants inside, a family of 2 kids with the mother driving, screamed out in both surprise and horror as the metahuman grabbed hold of the car's hood.

Lifting it off the ground as if it was a mere toy, he hefted its weight briefly in both forearms before chucking the vehicle towards them.

Eyes widening in realization, Superman launched himself up into the air and caught the vehicle with his bare hands.

Smiling evilly as the Man of Steel took the bait, the Parasite fired off his heat-vision yet again, this time aimed at the car's very flammable engine.

His vision obscured by the children staring at him through the darkened car windows, Superman was completely oblivious to the crimson beam hurtling towards the family.

But not Billy Batson.

Flying up directly in front of the car hood, Captain Marvel blocked the destructive glare with his golden gauntlets.

Taking the full brunt of the blast into his forearms, Batson grinded his teeth together as the Parasite intensified the beam.

Pushing forward away from the vehicle, he took a calming breath before taking the fight to the villain.

Launching himself at the metahuman with his forearms still blocking his heat vision, the magical champion built up momentum and upon returning to the ground, connected with a stinging right directly to his jaw.

Cutting off his heat-vision, he delivered another swift left cross across his other cheek, before lacing both fingers together and swinging a Herculean-esque clubbing blow underneath his chin.

Knocking him back against a parked car, Marvel rushed forward with another punch.

Snarling irritably, Parasite caught the fist with his open palm and retaliated with a savage headbutt directly to his temple.

Reeling back, Batson now found himself seeing double as the Parasite reared back and delivered another blow snapping his head backwards.

Stumbling against a street light, he struggled to push through his daze as the metahuman stalked towards him menacingly.

His lips parting in a feral roar, he lunged at the reeling hero with both arms outstretched towards his exposed neck.

Billy's vision clearing just in time, he caught both hands just before they closed in around his flesh.

Utilizing every ounce of his monstrous, Kryptonian-enhanced physique, Parasite's eyes were illuminated with perverse glee as he felt Marvel's muscles beginning to buckle against his.

"You feel that, kid? That's the collective power of Superman, Martian Manhunter, and every single heavy hitter in the Justice League coursing through my veins," he gloated triumphantly, his eyes alternating between green and red for emphasis.

"What power, that you possess, gives you the _delusion_ that you're even in my league?" he snarled, relishing Marvel's straining grimace as he leaned in for the kill.

As if to answer his question, a sudden gust of wind slammed into his sides, knocking him off his feet and into the air.

Having just put down the family SUV and escorted the inhabitants outside, Superman unleashed a powerful force wind derived from his superhuman esophagus to save his teammate just in time.

Catapulted into the intersection, Parasite collided hard against a now abandoned sports car, breaking through its polished windows and slumping into the driver's seat.

Taking a sigh of relief with the parasitic foe out of sight, at least for now, Captain Marvel pulled himself back up as Superman bitterly observed the writhing supervillain.

"All that power, and he still doesn't know when to shut up," he remarked dryly, turning back to the young hero.

"How many times do you think we have to keep punching him, sir?" Batson asked grimly.

"Much as I hate to admit it, he's right. He's got all my powers, my strengths, my-" Stopping himself mid-sentence, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

"My weaknesses," he revealed to the bewildered Billy Batson, who arched a quizzical eyebrow.

"You mean, like Kryptonite?"

"No, I mean like-" Before Superman could finish his thought, the sports car suddenly slammed into him, just barely missing Captain Marvel.

Disappearing against the flying metallic mass, Superman crashed backfirst through a nearby store window, frightening the employees currently hiding inside.

Batson instinctively took a step towards his teammate, before ultimately returning back to the task at hand.

Walking forward, the Parasite wore a wicked grin from ear to ear.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear…" Gesturing at his ears, he continued mocking the wizard's champion, "So, big boy blue told you my big secret, huh? Not that it'll do you any good. There's nothing even resembling that stupid green rock in this town. I've checked. And by the time I'm done with you, you won't even be conscious enough to use any of the other 'heroes' weaknesses against me."

A flicker of uncertainty played across Billy Batson's face, one that the Parasite surely would've noticed, but just as quickly as it emerged, an epiphany suddenly dawned on him.

" _But you don't know my weakness,"_ he thought to himself.

Quickly figuring out a new plan, Captain Marvel stood his ground with the villain nearly upon him.

"Any last words?" he further taunted the hero, cracking his knuckles eagerly.

"Yeah…." Crossing his arms, Billy put on his best smug face. "I bet you couldn't even handle my powers. I'm like, _ten_ times more powerful than Superman."

"Is that so?" he smirked bemusedly, a twinkle of curiosity in his now emerald eyes.

Scoffing, Billy bragged further, "Superman _wishes_ he could be me. I'm like the 'secret weapon' of the whole Justice League, and everyone knows it. All except you, I guess."

Pausing just feet away, the seed of curiosity had blossomed into something much more for the villain as he licked his lips hungrily.

"I usually like to savor my last meal, but for you kid, I think I'll skip straight to desserts," he grinned wickedly.

Using his telepathy once again, the Parasite levitated Captain Marvel off the ground, and with a mere flick of his wrist, brought him towards him.

Offering no resistance, Billy Batson secretly crossed his fingers as the air caressing his neck was quickly replaced by the Parasite's cold hand.

Seizing him by the throat just like how he had done to Superman, the supervillain wasted no time draining the young hero.

Within seconds, he could already feel his body weakening as the Parasite began leeching off his mythic energies.

The same tidal wave of weakness and sudden fatigue that had nearly melted the Man of Steel was now washing over him, and the supervillain was reaping all of the benefits.

Letting out a satisfied sigh, his eyes bulged like saucers as he felt Captain Marvel's strength and stamina flow through him, empowering him at an almost unprecedented level.

"So much….power," he breathed out, completely in awe as he felt the collective essence of the Greek pantheon surge through him.

Looking up at the increasingly weakened hero, he frantically demanded, "What's your secret, kid? Who gave you this much power? Tell me now!"

Fighting through the immense grogginess just enough to stare the now unhinged Parasite directly in the eye, Batson told him, "Say...the magic word."

"What word? TELL ME NOW!" the metahuman practically screamed at him, his voice booming with a fierce yet fanatic desperation.

Managing to crack a grin, Billy Batson uttered simply, "Shazam!"

At that exact second, Batson summoned whatever strength he still had left to break free of the Parasite's hold.

He barely had time to throw himself to the ground before the heavens opened up, releasing the mythical lightning bolt down on whoever summoned it.

But instead, it struck the unsuspecting Parasite, swallowing his body whole in a blinding flash of white light as the young hero watched on.

Screaming out as the pure energy washed over him from head to toe, he remained paralyzed until the lightning finally dissipated into the air a split second later.

Warily clambering up to his feet, Billy braced himself for his plan backfiring as the smoke cleared.

Squinting his eyes, he remained vigilant until the Parasite stumbled towards him.

His entire body was visibly twitching from the lightning surge, his now widened eyes blinking uncontrollably as he struggled to even remain standing.

Each leg teetered in front of the other, with electric sparks now running up and down his various white protrusions.

No longer sporting his signature smug look, he instead looked at Captain Marvel with a petrified, almost fearful glint in his eyes.

What was just a second in the eyes of everyone else, now felt like an eternity for the supervillain.

"So...much….power," he breathed out shakily, unable to even string together complete sentences as he felt the full effect of the transformative bolt.

Before he could say or do anything else, Captain Marvel felled him with one final, emphatic right cross.

Crumpling down face first in an unconscious heap, the malicious metahuman finally laid defeated at the feet of the world's mightiest mortal.

"Told you," he grinned heroically, triumphantly staring down the pacified Parasite as the sounds of police sirens grew nearer.


	6. Chapter 6

"Okay everyone, back up! This is a crime scene, not a Comic Con!" the police officer barked, waving back the large crowd as they continued gathering around the protective barrier erected around the street corner.

Upon signing his twentieth autograph for an enthusiastic college-age girl, Captain Marvel apologetically peeled away from the legions of his fans and returned to Superman's side.

The Man of Steel's eyes had not left the armored transport vehicle since it arrived, his attention remaining solely on the still unconscious Parasite as he was strapped down to a stretcher by several soldiers.

A power-dampening collar secured firmly around his neck, his body occasionally gave off a few involuntary twitches before finally being loaded inside.

Having just conferring with an officer, General Wade Eiling sauntered up to the trunk and emphatically slammed both doors shut.

As both heroes watched on, the general banged twice on the metal surface, prompting the driver to put the truck into gear.

Accelerating forwards, the vehicle gradually built up speed as two Humvees accompanied it from the front and back.

Walking up to the heroes, the military man addressed them both, "I'll be personally overseeing a convoy to take the Parasite straight to Belle Reve. He'll get his day in court, but for now we need to prioritize containment above all else. The warden's been working on some new toys over there, so he'll have quite the homecoming."

"And S.T.A.R. Labs?" Superman wanted to know.

"Currently under investigation. I don't know what else they were doing besides those blood samples we found, but if today's any indication, it's been drawing the psychos out like moths to a light."

Sighing, the General forced the next words out of his mouth, "Once again, I find myself in the Justice Leagues' debt. I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't have to. Just doing our jobs," Superman assured him.

Respectfully nodding at the two, General Eiling then excused himself to leave in his own personal jeep.

"Well, that was fun," Captain Marvel commented, watching the last of the convoy disappear around the corner.

Waiting until they were out of earshot from the military personnel, Superman turned to the young hero wearing an appreciative grin.

"I underestimated you, Captain," he admitted.

"It happens," Billy shrugged, knowing that sentiment all too well.

"Did Batman ever tell you why you were invited to join the League?"

"Uhhhh….something about me being related to you?" Batson suggested, racking the back of his mind for memory of his introductory meeting at the Watchtower.

"In a sense, yes. Prior to your invitation, I caught some news footage of you in action, fighting the bad guys and protecting the fine people here in this city. In a moment of arrogance, I must admit you reminded me a lot of myself. More specifically, of what I had envisioned my people doing if they too had made it from Krypton," he explained, his voice slightly apologetic.

"But I was wrong, and I couldn't be happier to admit that. You've got a good heart, and no matter where you got your powers from, I'll be glad to fight beside you on this world, or any other," Superman smiled, extending his hand.

Hesitating slightly, a newfound surge of confidence flowed through Billy Batson, strengthening him beyond just any single word.

Now looking at the veteran hero standing before him as an equal, he accepted his handshake.

Choosing his words very carefully, the world's mightiest mortal simply responded, "Thank you, Kal. I hope I don't let you guys down."

Smiling, Superman was about to say something else when he suddenly pressed both fingers up to his right ear.

After listening intently to his comlink to receive the full message, he informed the hero, "Toyman just broke out of Stryker Island. I'll be needed back in Metropolis."

"See you at the next meeting then?" Batson said.

Giving him one last affirming nod, the Man of Steel launched off the ground and tore through the urban jungle faster than a speeding bullet.

A second later, Superman had disappeared entirely into the industrial skyline.

"Showoff," Captain Marvel smirked playfully, taking off into the air with camera flashes all around him and a giant, goofy grin painted across his youthful face.

* * *

 _Fawcett City_

 _8:27:35 EST_

" _In other news, the supervillain infamously known as the Parasite was apprehended today by two members of the Justice League: Superman and Fawcett City's own resident hero, Captain Marvel. Initially caught breaking into Fawcett City S.T.A.R. Labs, his metahuman machinations proved to be too much for local law enforcement, and even the U.S. Military. Luckily, our caped guardian angel was here to save the day, along with some assistance of course from Metropolis' own Man of Steel. Joan Jameson has more information on-"_

Lowering the volume on the remote, Freddy Freeman yawned sleepily as he deflated further into the pillow cushion.

Resting on a blue coach with the TV playing in front, he was also joined by Mary Batson, her legs tucked comfortably underneath her.

Studying a textbook in her lap, she wielded a glass of water in one hand and a pencil in the other as she occasionally jotted down notes into her school agenda.

"Blah blah blah…." Mimicking the news reporters interviewing various eyewitnesses, Freddy's relaxed and lazy posture was a far cry from Mary's much more astute and studious composure.

"Is Billy on yet?" she finally spoke up, her eyes still glued to the assigned reading.

"Not yet. Just some people talking about-Whoa, holy crud!" His eyes widened as an image of the Parasite's monstrous visage was presented on the screen, with the female journalist providing a voice over into his many crimes and violent acts against the superhero community.

Out of curiosity, the brunette looked up from her studies and was equally startled by his unsettling appearance.

"Jeez, moisturizer much?" she remarked.

"You're telling me," Freddy agreed, looking at her, "So, what are you doing?"

"Oh, just doing my science homework for Mrs. Applewhite's class. A class that you are _also_ in," she reminded him.

"We have homework?" he frowned, scratching his chin blankly.

"Yes, and you would know that if you weren't asleep in class from playing video games with Billy almost every night," she scolded him.

"Really Mary? Eavesdropping on us again?"

"Well, my only other alternative is listening to Uncle Dudley snore, so yeah, maybe I was eavesdropping," she said, her eyes flashing at him stubbornly.

"Teacher's pet," he scoffed.

"Couch potato," she shot back at him.

"Know-it-all!"

"Dumbo!"

"Smarty pants!"

"...Under pants!"

"Hey guys!" Billy Batson greeted them, finally entering through the back door to break up their sibling spat.

Now reverted back to his normal, adolescent self, he let out a visible yawn as he groggily trudged into the main area of the foster home.

As if on cue, the news broadcast then switched to footage of the fight, showcasing Captain Marvel fighting the Parasite head-on in the streets.

"My man! How'd it go with Superman?" Freddy beamed at him cheerfully, his enthusiasm not shared by Mary who gave the boy a concerned look.

"What Fred means is, are you okay?" she chimed in as well.

Brushing off her worried look, Batson yawned, "I'm fine, just a little tired. The Parasite was tough and all, but nothing I couldn't handle."

"Cool. So, did you do that move on him that we had been practicing?" Freeman chirped up excitedly,

"Sure did. Hey, I'll tell you guys more about it in the morning. I think I might need those nine hours Uncle Dudley was telling me about for once," Batson smiled, turning towards the hallway.

"You earned it, champ. Don't let Mary's nagging get you too down," he joked, predictably receiving a light slap on the shoulder by the eldest sibling.

"Good night, Billy!" she called out after him, before resuming her arguing with Freddy Freeman.

As the competing voices of his adopted family quickly faded into background noise, only one thought ran through the head of Billy Batson.

 _Best Day Ever._

* * *

 **Final Note: And thus ends "The Magic Word."**

 **This story truly was a journey in itself to complete, one that admittedly took me much longer to complete than anticipated, but overall I'm extremely thankful for the support and feedback by all of you.**

 **As far as final reflections go, I can honestly say that the key inspiration behind this fanfic came from the 2018 Comic-Con trailer for _Shazam._ I had some exposure to the character of Billy Batson and his supporting cast (mainly through the Young Justice and Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series), but upon watching that teaser trailer I just felt this sudden urge to do something- _anything_ Shazam-related. Naturally, this led to me writing this standalone story that would hopefully be self-contained enough not to get too lost in the mythology but also be authentic to this particular interpretation of Captain Marvel within the YJ canon. **

**Whether or not I succeeded in that is, of course, up to you the reader, but ultimately I'm very proud of the finished product (belated as it may be). On a personal note, this is definitely the most fun I've had writing a fanfiction, and I absolutely loved just spending a day in Billy Batson's world. As always, feedback/reviews/PMs are most certainly welcome. Also, feel free to let me know if you'd like me to do anything else involving Captain Marvel and his colorful supporting cast of characters.**

 **(Shill Time: If you enjoyed my writing here, I've also completed another story in the YJ universe, entitled "Final Exam" that features Robin, Kid Flash, and Speedy. At the moment, I'm also working on a separate fanfiction set in the Arkham-Verse, entitled "Batman Arkham City: Reconstruction." ;)**

 **All and all, thanks so much for staying with me from beginning to ending, and hope your year is off to a great start. Shazam! :)**


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